Exculpation
by Nelarun
Summary: He was loved once, admired even, but all it takes is one black mark to completely destroy your life. A Twisted Truths Story


**Exculpation  
By Nelarun  
A Twisted Truths Story  
Naruto © Kishimoto**

* * *

Mizuki stretched languidly like a wolf as he waited for Senju Akihito – current Jounin Commander – to come out. He had sent word that Mizuki was to attend him at his convenience; that the summons had come by way of that jerk, Hatake, simply made Mizuki get ready all the more quickly.

Finally the Senju stepped out of his office. "My apologies for keeping you, Mizuki-san."

"Not at all, sir," Mizuki assured. The ageing Senju made a small sound and Mizuki quietly fell into step behind the man.

"It has come to my attention – ah Genma, run these files to Admin won't you."

"Sir."

"-attention that you are quite a skilled Chuunin, especially in the fields of deception and interrogation."

"It has been said, sir."

"I hear you even turned down an offer of direct entry into ANBU's Intelligence: Torture and Interrogation squads."

"I... One day," Mizuki said slowly, "I would like to attain Jounin and teach brats of my own. I'm a little terrified of the thought, though, to be honest sir, and I want to go to the Academy for a few years to teach before then."

"You're twenty-one, Mizuki-san, you really think you'll hit Jounin?"

"I'm quite proficient at doton, and I'm building up my mastery of katon – I don't believe that I'll ever be one of the greats, sir, but I don't believe that Jouninhood is out of my grasp yet."

Akihito studied the man out of the corner of his eye. "Curious. Very well," he held out a scroll. "Complete this satisfactorily and I shall welcome you to the ranks of the Tokubetsu. I have great faith in you, Mizuki-san. Try not to let me down."

Mizuki swallowed a wide grin and bowed. "Yes sir, Thank you!"

"Yes, yes. Well off you go."

oOo

He met his usual team at the ramen stand, wrinkling his nose as his stomach threatened to rebel. He supposed having that much ramen after that much umeshu... he'd not been able to go near either without feeling violently ill. "Hey Mizu-chan!" He groaned but sat down, Teuchi – the wonder of the Shinobi world – handed him a bottle of strong beer and a plate of steamed dumplings much to his delight.

"I have a mission if you three can tear yourselves away from Teuchi-sama's cooking."

"Get on with you," Teuchi chuckled but left them be.

"Ayame-chan!" Mizuki called as they settled their bill, the girl poked her head out and smiled.

"Mizuki-kun!"

"Dumplings were superb as always," he complimented and she flushed in embarrassed pleasure.

"So why are we – a bunch of Chuunin – doing a borderline A-ranked retrieval?" Ita Jin asked as they ran through the trees, hurrying towards the castle where the item they were to retrieve was situated.

"This is a test isn't it, Mizuki?" Ueda Shinji asked as he pulled up beside him.

"Tokubetsu?" Arate Hideyoshi called out.

"If it pans out, I'll be promoted on our return, so try and make me look good yeah?" The three laughed and ribbed him most of the way.

"Hey Mizuki. What about the Academy?" He paused, waterskin at his lips.

"Come on Shinji, he only put in his application the other day."

"But if this is successful, he won't be Chuunin anymore and thus ineligible to teach at the Academy." The three looked at him and Mizuki shrugged.

"I'll volunteer to teach the brats special lessons inbetween missions." They seemed to find great amusement out of that but fell into professional silence as they crept through the compound, found the scroll and crept back out.

_They weren't to know that it was the last time they would ever laugh together_.

It was a trap and Mizuki had blundered right into it like an inexperienced Genin. Still he sent Jin and Hideyoshi – the fastest two of the team – to lead the majority of the enemy off. He squinted at their protectors and he caught a flash, an impression of a symbol.

He wasn't fast enough, nor strong enough – neither fleet of foot or of mind in matters that didn't involve a voice and to his horror this was one time when he needed to be _better_. Still there was one chance. Just one. He lifted his kunai and threw it with all he had, praying it would get through armour and hit his mark.

Shinji stared, stunned as the kunai was thrown with enough force to completely sheer through the Chuunin vest he wore, sheer through bone and impale his heart. Each moment the blade was there was doing irreparable damage – was tearing a larger hole in his heart.

He had fifteen seconds to live, a medic would need five to patch him up but they didn't have a medic on the team. He collapsed and watched in silence as Mizuki despatched the nin and ran over to his side, picking him up and cradling him. Shinji felt the kunai come free and looked up into Mizuki's terrified gaze. Sorry, Mizu-kun... looks like I won't get to see you become a sensei after all...

Hideyoshi and Jin landed on the branches and watched as Mizuki removed a kunai from Shinji's chest. The two moved in a coordinated fashion, disarming and securing Mizuki as well as checking for life in Shinji.

oOo

Uchiha Fugaku studied the shinobi staring at the ceiling of his cell. He looked down at the charges and sighed, walking away with a signal to his officers. Mizuki was brought into the interrogation chamber, a dull look in his eye. He looked down to the kunai Fugaku set on the table between them. Mizuki smiled faintly. "I suppose my promotion's off then."

Fugaku didn't speak and Mizuki fell into silence as he stared at the kunai, shackled to his seat he was unable to move – the kunai didn't allow him to look anywhere else. Without saying a word, Fugaku got to his feet and left the room.

Contrary to popular belief, the Uchiha weren't the only Clan who worked the Konoha Military Police Force – he had, upon inheriting the position, quietly made some subtly changes. Originally the KMPF was a way for the crippled – those Shinobi who could no longer serve beyond the walls – to still be useful: after all in times of war every able body was needed and the KMPF often found themselves understaffed. Now almost a full quarter of those in the Force were outsiders – men and women who were asked to join and learned on the job.

Of course having outsiders also opened the KMPF up to those who were interested, so he was both mildly put out and just a little proud to see Hyuuga Hiashi standing outside the interrogation cell, clearly waiting for him. "Interesting tactic."

"He's still in shock – not in any danger medically, simply emotionally."

"I'm surprised you know anything of emotions," Hiashi remarked and Fugaku snorted his amusement. "Do you believe him guilty?"

Fugaku turned the question over and sent his friend a sharp look. "What is your interest in this matter?"

"The dead shinobi had a minor bloodline that would have augmented the Byakugan – he was to marry into my Clan."

Fugaku nodded slightly in understanding. "I'm not sure if he's innocent, guilty or simply suffered an emotional break, though if this was murder I'll be greatly surprised." Hiashi nodded and glanced at the envelopes in his hand. Fugaku shrugged. "We confiscated his correspondence – mostly notifications about village projects, a few letters from his lover and one from the positional section board."

"I see... how long are you going to let him sit there for?"

"A few more hours."

"Will that not do more damage to his fragile psyche?"

"Why hello there, Yamanaka-san." Fugaku drawled almost amused at the concern Hiashi was showing. "This is not the first potential team mate murderer I've interrogated. You can stay and watch if you want, but don't get in my way."

oOo

Fugaku walked into the room with a cup of coffee in hand, the sharp and bitter scent appeared to draw Mizuki's gaze away from the kunai. "The kunai's bloody," Fugaku noted as he sat down. Of itself, a kunai being bloody wasn't particularly noteworthy (perhaps indicative of a lazy cleaning habit) but these weren't normal circumstances in the least. Grief flashed through Mizuki's eyes. "Why would that be, Mizuki-san?"

Mizuki recounted the tale, saying how he was too slow to protect his friend – _did you know Shin was getting married next month to a pretty Hyuuga? – _How the suna-nin had snatched his kunai and thrown it at Shinji and that he _knew_ how it had looked but Shinji really was his best friend!

When he was done he fell silent. "Perhaps," Fugaku agreed, "or perhaps you are creating a lie to cover your misdeed – after all it was your speciality was it not? Misdirection and deception? I understand you turned down a lucrative offer with ANBU T&I, were about to be promoted to Tokubetsu Jounin."

"I wouldn't lie about this!" Mizuki snarled. "Shinji was like my brother – we were both orphans and raised each other! Why would I kill him?"

"Because he was getting married and leaving you behind – clanless and still an orphan."

"I was happy for him."

"You say another nin killed Shinji?"

"I do."

"Then why is your chakra the only one present on the handle?"

"Because... I mean... _Fuck_!" Mizuki swore. "Uchiha-sama, I didn't kill him! I wouldn't have killed him!"

Fugaku made a small sound and pushed an envelope over to him, calling out to his officers to take him to his cell.

Mizuki stared at the yellow envelope and held his breath as he opened it... the air rushed out of him and his shoulders slumped. _...Unfortunately due to the nature of the investigation and charges levelled against you, we have denied your request to teach at the Academy..._

Standing at the doorway to the holding cells, Fugaku watched the man as he laid down on the pallet, arm thrown over his eyes as despair radiated off of him. "And now, Hiashi, we begin."

oOo

"There was no enemy-nin was there?"

"There was."

"You were the one who killed Shinji weren't you?"

"No."

"It was your kunai that killed him wasn't it?"

"Yes, but-"

"So your kunai – you gave the enemy the kunai?"

"No, he snatched it-"

"How convenient that you – a tokubetsu jounin candidate couldn't hold onto a kunai."

"I threw it."

"At Shinji."

"No, at the enemy-nin."

"And he threw it at Shinji?"

"Yes."

"With enough force to get through armour and bone."

"It's what happened."

"Very well then, how many enemy-nin were there?"

"Six."

"Six? You're sure?"

"Yes..."

"Don't sound too confident, want to try that again?"

"... It was six."

"And which village?"

"I don't know..."

"Really?"

"It was dark."

"So earlier when you identified them as Suna-nin? Just a lie."

"No, it was-"

"Dark, I heard."

"You-"

"Me what? Mizuki, you're looking at treason here – Konoha doesn't take lightly to team slayers. I'm just trying to sort this out because you're claiming you didn't kill Shinji but all the evidence I have says you did."

"But I _didn't_."

"Are you so sure of that? You were caught up in battle. Is it possible that Shinji moved unexpectedly and you reacted accordingly? Your minds playing tricks on you, after all, perhaps it provided a more acceptable scenario."

"No."

"But it is possible."

"No."

"Then what village were they from?"

"I can't-"

"You can't remember."

"No."

"So it is possible that you killed him by accident."

"..."

"Mizuki-san?"

"I don't know." Mizuki buried his face in his hands. "I don't know."

"Okay." Fugaku stood. "Someone will take you back to your cell, meditate and try to clear your thoughts. If you think of something..."

"Yes, sir."

"Good man."

oOo

Fugaku accepted the coffee Hiashi held out for him. "Well?" He cocked an eyebrow at the unusual impatience the Hyuuga was exuding.

"I'm leaning towards innocent through I'm going to sic my Yamanaka on him – see if his memory's been altered any. He genuinely believes that an enemy-nin killed Shinji, but we're Shinobi."

Hiashi nodded slightly. "Please keep me informed.

"Mmhmm."

Mizuki opened his eyes as the Yamanaka entered his mind; while he had leaped at the suggestion Uchiha-sama had offered, he hadn't thought the Yamanaka would be so young nor remarkably healthy to have been assigned to the KMPF – he thought that perhaps she _wanted_ to work for the Uchiha. She loooked around and made a soft sound. Mizuki's mindscape didn't look healthy – it wasn't crumbling, but he was clearly stressed and depressed. The girl slowly approached the field of wild flowers his mind was preresented as and leaned down to get a better idea of what each flower was – decorative or utilisable. To her satisfaction the flowers were what she was after. A blue heather gleamed before it slowly faded to brown – she picked it quickly to look at the memory.

_Mizuki stood before eager students, guiding them on their path towards being shinobi..._

"They rejected my application," Mizuki muttered and she nodded, the heather fading away in her hand to reappear as a brown sprig on the ground. She picked another blue heather and saw a young woman and a little boy running around.

"I asked her to marry me, she said yes."

Blue heather appeared to be dreams, let's see what red would give her.

She quietly stepped back into her body and made her report.

oOo

Fugaku sighed as he read the written report. "So it's natural confusion? No genjutsu or other mind-altering ploys?"

"No sir, I genuinely believe that at the wrong moment Mizuki-san threw his kunai without enough speed."

Fugaku nodded and signed the report as 'read' and handed it back to her to make a copy and file it accordingly. "Good work, Yamanaka."

oOo

Mizuki looked at Fugaku as he came to. "What..."

"I'm willing to believe that you didn't throw the kunai that killed Shinji. I am curious, however, to understand why you failed an easy throw."

Mizuki's relief was hidden as he heard what Fugaku wasn't saying out loud. "You believe I conspired with the enemy to kill my friend." Fugaku didn't reply and Mizuki let out a long breath. "Why would I go through this effort? Why not simply tell the enemy-nin who to take out? Why use my kunai?"

"Off the top of my head, perhaps they carried a weapon that would mark their village; perhaps they always intended for you to take the fall; perhaps that's how you arranged it."

"He was my brother!"

"Irrelevant. He was going to marry the girl you had a fancy for."

"When I was a teenager! I was happy for Shinji when Hiashi-sama approved their marriage! I'm getting married myself!"

"Are you?" Fugaku asked.

"I asked and Tsubaki said yes! I wouldn't betray her."

"The way Shinji betrayed you?"

Mizuki blinked, confusion clear in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"While you were talking with Yamanaka-san, I had a chat with Tsubaki-san and she told me a few interesting things."

"Such as?"

"The three of you were orphaned during the period of unrest preceding the Third Shinobi War or during the war itself. You three shared a room in the orphanage and were almost inseparable." Mizuki's frowned lightened – possibly at good memories. "You became a team – you, Shinji and Tsubaki-san – but then you were promoted first weren't you. Orphan – clanless – Chuunin at thirteen, quite impressive, even after everything that happened with the Kyuubi. Because of the demand on the village you were sent out with other Chuunin leaving your team mates behind. Hyuuga-san was brought in to fill your spot which is how Shinji and Hyuuga-san met. During your absence, Tsubaki-san and Shinji became close."

"No."

"Very close – one could say intimate."

"You're lying."

"I'm merely repeating what Tsubaki-san told me." Fugaku looked at him. "Shinji was getting married and he wanted to clear the air between you so he told you what happened a long time ago, but like most men you're a possessive creature and they hadn't slept together for work – they did it for pleasure."

"That's... Shinji... I mean he... he never said..."

"So you expect me to believe that it was bad luck that ended up with Shinji dead and you being interrogated in one of my cells."

"If I had known I would have asked Tsubaki. It would have hurt but that was a long time ago!"

"It was." Fugaku agreed. "Can you tell me why the patrol of your camp the night before your attack, you took ten minutes longer than the others of your team?"

"I was nervous – if I didn't get the scroll I would miss my chance of promotion." He looked away. "There was a lake near the camp and I paused my patrol to calm my nerves there."

"A little unprofessional don't you think?"

"Yes, sir."

Fugaku let out a long breath as he studied the broken man before him.  
"I believe the only thing you are guilty of is a poor throw which saw your team mate die. This is backed up by testimonial evidence as well as your own memories as cited by Officer Yamanaka. I will make my recommendation that all charges be dropped to the Hokage." He got to his feet. "Until the Hokage offers a ruling you will remain in Uchiha custody with your chakra sealed." Fugaku stated to leave. "Oh and if at some point in the future I discover that you've lied to me? First I'll shake your hand, then I'll rip your heart out." Fugaku paused to let that sink in, heard no desperate attempt to change his mind or confess and continued on his way.

oOo

One month after his mission, Mizuki left the KMPF station with full wages from his mission plus compensation for time spent in custody. The first thing he did was visit the cemetery where Shiji was buried to apologise. (While there he watched as one Uzumaki Naruto mocked the dead with his prank on the boys doing what appeared to be a test of courage.) The second thing he did was quietly break off his engagement to Tsubaki. Finally he burned his rejection letter.

It may take the rest of his life but he swore that one day he would teach at the Academy.

After all – he was a man with nothing, and for men such as he, they either descended into the depths of hell or rose to the top.


End file.
